ATHENS, May 15
(Reuters) - Greece said on Thursday it had informed the European
Commission of what it says is a rising number of Greek airspace
violations by Turkish fighter jets.

Military aircraft of Greece, and Turkey, long at odds over several
territorial disputes in the Aegean sea and the divided island of Cyprus,
almost daily report mock dogfights and airspace violations.

"Greece informed the European Commission and will continue to do so
of the continuing violations of our airspace that have increased in the
recent period," Foreign Ministry spokesman Panos Beglitis told
reporters.

He said two days ago several Turkish war planes entered Greek
airspace and were locked in a mock battle with Greek jets before being
pushed pack.

"We will use all the tools and the European framework to highlight
this practice that goes against any (EU) candidate country," he said.

The European Union on Tuesday said Turkey, an EU hopeful, could
meet a December 2004 deadline for implementing necessary reforms needed
to allow the start of accession talks with the 15-nation bloc.

Greece, which has strongly supported Turkey's EU aspirations, has
said it has recorded a sharp rise of air violations in recent months
despite a continuous drop in figures until about a year ago.

"Tension and confrontation in the Aegean will affect Turkey
negatively and will influence its European prospects," Beglitis said.
"Times have changed and this practice must stop."

The two neighbours, despite a thawing of traditionally tense
bilateral ties, came to the brink of war as recently as 1996 over an
uninhabited islet in the Aegean."